Like most objects, Sharpies contain chemical elements. Chemical elements first originated billions of years ago in stars. The Sanford Manufacturing Company in Chicago made Sharpies, but the unique properties of that make the ink permanent came from the stars. But how how do chemicals from stars end up on Earth? When a star reaches the end of it’s life, a supernova, or a star explosion, it will disperse the chemicals across space, after that accretion will start to gather materials and chemicals to form planets, like Earth. Before the creation of the Sharpie there was no writing utensil like it being sold, so when Sharpies were first created in 1964 Sharpies became very popular to write with because of their unique abilities.
As stated in the introduction paragraph the chemicals in Sharpie ink come from stars. Chemicals can form in stars due to their very high temperatures that are able to fuse nuclei together. The main chemicals that make Sharpies permanent are butanol, propanol, and diacetone alcohol. The image shows all the elements that are in the three chemicals and what stage of a star they were created in. The life stages of stars relates back to the thesis because it proves that chemicals in Sharpies can be traced back to stars.
“Sharpies use water-insoluble ink that...makes them permanent”
-Jane McMaster Conroy eHow
This quote is showing why Sharpies are different from other markers, because they have water-insoluble ink which makes them permanent. The ink is made out of the chemicals that came from stars millions of years ago, butanol, propanol, and diacetone acid. To be classified as a permanent marker the ink has to have water-soluble ink, the Sharpie was created to deliver a marker to the market that could write on basically any smooth surface, and to make sure that the ink wouldn’t erase, water-insoluble ink was used. This connects to the thesis by stating why Sharpies are considered as permanent markers.
“...the first pen-style permanent marker. It writes on almost every surface from glass, wood, and stone, to plastic, and metal and, of course, paper.”
-Sharpie Website
In the 1960’s writing was very common because computers were not advanced enough to write and take notes on, but there was not a writing utensil like the Sharpie, the Sanford Manufacturing Company made it their mission to find an all-in-one pen that can write on different surfaces. In 1964 Sanford launched the first versatile permanent marker, the black fine point Sharpie, this one product would be the start to new types of Sharpies in more than 30 colors. This supports the thesis by stating why Sharpies were created and what their intended use was for, and how it’s permanent effects sets Sharpies apart from other markers.